阿基米德说：给我一个支点，我就能撬起地球。这句话便是说杠杆原理：公式为（F1×L1=F2×L2），即动力×动力臂=阻力×阻力臂（力臂：从支点到力的作用线的距离）。假设成年男性体重为 70 千克，那么理论上，他撬起一只重 4000 千克的亚洲象需要 57 米的杠杆；撬起约重 10100000 千克的埃菲尔铁塔需要 144285 米的杠杆；地球质量约为 5.965×10^24 千克，地月的平均距离为 384403 千米，以月球为支点，撬起地球需要的杠杆长度约为 3465 万亿光年。
译文：Archimedes said: Give me a fulcrum, I can pry up the earth. The formula is (F1×L1=F2×L2), that is, power × power arm = resistance × resistance arm (moment arm: the distance from the fulcrum to the line of action of the force). Assuming an adult male weighs 70kg, he would theoretically need a lever of 57m to lift a 4,000kg Asian elephant. It takes 144,285 metres of levers to lift the 10100,000 kg Eiffel Tower; Earth has a mass of about 5.965×10^24 kg, and the average distance between the Earth and the Moon is 384,403 km. With the moon as the pivot, the length of the lever needed to pry the Earth is about 3465 trillion light years.